Castle Hill on the Crane Estate. The land has always been spectacular. After the Native Americans had used it for centuries, John Winthrop, Jr., son of the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, laid claim to Castle Hill in 1637.

Then Richard Crane, who made his fortune selling toilets (Crane bathroom fixures are still popular today), bought the property and built a glorious Italian Renaissance Revival villa... but his wife didn't like it. So they tore the whole thing down and built a new 59 room Great House to exemplify the American Country Place Era.

Great indeed.